Fourth in a series on the 10 most important Indians players for a successful season in 2012. Today: Grady Sizemore. Monday: Josh Tomlin.

June 27 will mark the 10th anniversary of the day Grady Sizemore was traded to the Indians. Since then, a lot of water has passed under the bridge and a lot of anesthesia has passed through Sizemore in the operating room.

During the course of that decade, Sizemore played his way to the brink of superstardom, then was derailed by a freight train of injuries that have robbed him of his last three seasons, robbed him of a mammoth free-agent contract, and robbed him, and all major-league teams, of any clarity about his future in the game. If any.

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That's where the Indians and 2012 come in.

Whether multiple surgeries, including both knees, have turned one of the most dynamic, explosive, full-throttle players in the majors into, well, Trevor Crowe, will be determined in 2012.

After sticking his toe in what were obviously lukewarm free-agent waters, Sizemore agreed to come back to Cleveland, his comfort zone, for one year, at $5 million -- nearly half of the $9 million club option the skeptical Indians declined to exercise -- in order to, hopefully, prove he's completely healthy again, nearly as skilled as he once was and worthy of consideration by some team as an investment for the future. Sizemore will be a free agent again after the 2012 season.

His comeback is once again delayed, however. He suffered a strained back while fielding ground balls and is likely to miss the season opener.

It's safe to say that not a lot of observers are betting on Sizemore being able to regain his All-Star form -- but the Indians are willing to let him try, so that's where we are.

If he has a big year

He would likely be a shoo-in for the Comeback Player of the Year Award, his free-agent prospects would go from dismal to delicious, and he almost certainly would play his way, once and for all, out of Cleveland.

However, The Full Sizemore, for this one year, would bring electrifying excitement, wide-ranging and much-needed production to the lineup, a winning attitude and leadership, and a monumental and totally unexpected boost to the team, the town and the times.

That's if he has a big year -- which seems even less likely after his most recent injury.

If he has a bad year

He and they move on.

If Sizemore plays in fewer than 110 games again, for the fourth consecutive year, he devolves into a part-time player, with, probably, Michael Brantley becoming the most-used center fielder, if not forcing the Indians to trade for one.

Sizemore would leave as a free agent after the season, probably destined to having to settle for a minor-league contract and an invite as a non-roster player to some team's major-league training camp in 2013.